The Hillsboro boys controlled the ball well and took advantage of poor shooting by Kingman Tuesday night en route to a 60-45 victory.
The Trojans’ first three scores came on three-pointers, two from Jordan Faul and one by Christian Ratzlaff. Hillsboro led 18-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Kingman clawed back into the game early in the second quarter with seven unanswered to trail 18-14, but Hillsboro pulled away on a 12-3 run. A myriad of Trojans scored, capped by a buzzer-beating jumper by Micah Allen.
Trailing 36-21 at the beginning of the second half, the Eagles outscored the Trojans 7-6 in the third, but Hillsboro coasted to a 60-45 finish in the fourth.
Ratzlaff led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Avery Franz, 8; Allen, 7; Faul, 6; Brett Weinbrenner, 6; Jesse Brown, 4; and Evan Ollenburger, 4.
3-pointers carry Trojans past Haven
Hillsboro’s offense got off to a slow start Friday against Haven, but stout defense gave the Trojans a 19-15 lead at halftime.
The offense came alive in the third quarter, though, primarily from behind the three-point line. The Trojans made seven of nine three-pointers in the quarter as they extended their lead to 43-28.
Micah Allen started the barrage with a shot from the wing. Brett Weinbrenner then made one from the left corner and deep behind the wing. Christian Ratzlaff made a three from the top of the key, Jordan Faul made one from the left corner, and Weinbrenner made one from the right corner. At the end of the quarter, Ratzlaff fought through a double team to get a shot off at the buzzer, sinking the team’s seventh three of the quarter.
Hillsboro kept the offense up in the fourth quarter, cruising to a 62-40 victory.
Weinbrenner led the team in scoring with 21 points, including making five of 10 threes. Ratzlaff had 16 points; Allen, 9; Evan Ollenburger, 6; Jesse Brown, 4; Faul, 3; and Avery Franz, 3.
“The second half was just outstanding,” coach Darrel Knoll said.
Knoll credited Weinbrenner’s shooting to stepping into the gaps and taking shots in rhythm. He also said the team’s defensive effort and rebounding helped the offense.